BEIJING – China is to put in place a system allowing the recall of unsafe or unapproved food products following a series of health scares that have led to illnesses and deaths, state media reported today

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Wu Jianping, director-general of the food production and supervision department at the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said the draft would be ready by the end of the year.

“All domestic and foreign food producers and distributors will be obliged to follow the system,” the China Daily quoted Wu as saying.

The State Food and Drug Administration also plans to blacklist food producers that break the rules, the China Daily reported, adding that serious violators could be barred from the market.

Food products from China have been coming under increasing scrutiny both at home and around the world after a spate of scares involving toxins in products including pet food and toothpaste.